The Halden Reactor Project: Experience Gained in International Research*
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Halden Reactor Project: Experience gained in international research* Dr. W. H. Å. Beere Institutt for energiteknikk P.O. Box 173 NO-1751 Halden Norway Abstract. The Norwegian government has with the successful completion of the June 2006 “Symposium and Technical Workshop on Minimisation of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) in the Civilian Nuclear Sector” confirmed its engagement for minimizing the risk related to the continued use of fissile material in general and HEU in particular. One suggested concept in reducing risk associated with fissile material required for research is the concentration of research efforts in shared facilities. The increased global demand for nuclear energy also points towards the need for first class research facilities. Pooling resources makes sense as a way to maximise research efforts. But how should a shared facility work and function? The OECD-Halden Reactor Project (HRP) is a good example of operation of a shared research facility which has been in operation for nearly 50 years. During that time the HRP has evolved from a prototype heavy water reactor envisaged as a power source for maritime surface vessel propulsion to a research reactor able to replicate the in-core conditions of most of the worlds types of power reactor. Thus making the HRP an important international test facility within the nuclear industry. This evolution was not possible without the international cooperation which was present from the start. The flexibility of the organizational structure has also proven vital to the continued success of the Project. This paper gives a brief history of the Halden Reactor Project as well as the hosting company, Institutt for energiteknikk (IFE), as the success of the one is reliant on the other. The success of the Project and the Institute is largely reliant on the versatility of both the reactor design and also the organizational structure. Both are described in this paper. Finally a summary of the keys to success is given which can be used as a template for other international research projects. * Presented at the IAEA International Conference on Research Reactors: Safe Management and Effective Utilization 5-9 November 2007 Sydney, Australia 1 Dr. W. H. Å. Beere 1. Introduction First a look at the historical perspective: The initial idea in the 50’s for the building of the Halden Reactor was that Norway wanted experience in building nuclear reactors for use in ship propulsion. It soon became clear that Norway could not afford this project alone, even the close cooperation between Norway and the Netherlands was not enough to complete the project. Finally in 1958 when the reactor was opened the project had become international with the Institute for Atom Energy (Now called Institute for Energy Technology) being the host. Then as now the research was organised in 3 year programmes. Countries participating provide financial support, and are part of the steering committee which decides on the content of the research. Visiting research scientists are also sent to Halden to gain experience and to participate in the operation of the experiments. Which and how many countries are members may change. There is no obligation to re-join after a 3 year period has finished. This flexibility is probably one of the main reasons that this organisation form has remained unaltered in now almost 50 years. It has also meant that the research program is constantly changing so as to be as up to date as possible. Although this paper is concerned with describing the factors for success of the Halden Reactor Project [1] the role of the hosting institute needs also to be described. The Institutt for energiteknikk (Institute for Energy Technology, IFE) is Norway’s largest international research institution. The Institute is a non-profit organization with government appointed board of directors and is charged with supporting energy related industries in Norway. IFE’s five areas of research currently are: nuclear technology and physics; nuclear safety and reliability; petroleum; energy and environment; and safe interaction between man, technology and organisation. IFE has facilities at both Kjeller, located near Norway’s capital Oslo, and Halden, located on the south eastern border to Sweden (Fig 1). IFE has ca. 550 employees, roughly equally divided between Kjeller and Halden, and a turnover of about 60 Million Euros. 1.1. Motivation for writing this paper Norway’s address to the IAEA’s 49th general conference signalized a new effort in nuclear security [2]. As part of this the reduction of the use of HEU in the civil nuclear sector was highlighted as an important step towards better security. As part of their strategy the Norwegian government organized the “Symposium and Technical Workshop on Minimisation of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Civilian Nuclear Sector”, which was held in Oslo, June 2006 [3]. Thus confirming its engagement for minimizing the risk related to the continued use of fissile material in general and HEU in particular. Another risk associated with use of fissile material is from diversion for theft. This is recognized as a problem for small as well as large facilities. Therefore, it is proposed that nuclear security can be improved by pooling research, resulting in fewer locations for sensitive materials. The best benefits of this are achieved when facilities are shared on an international, or regional bases. These benefits also include a reduced cost to the individual member countries and, we argue, a higher quality of the research conducted. Thus the Norwegian Government encourages the formation of regional research centres. How this can be achieved is a very difficult and complex issue. Here we wish simply to give as an example how international collaboration has led to the success of the Halden Reactor Project. A Project which has been of great benefit to the hosting nation, Norway, as well as providing leading international research for the member countries [4]. 2 Dr. W. H. Å. Beere Kjeller Halden FIG. 1.IFE’s facilities in Norway (red circles), and Inside the reactor hall at Halden. 2. A brief history of the Halden Reactor Project (HRP) and the Institutt for energiteknikk (IFE) [5] Before we start the history of the Halden Project detailing the when and how, it is important to relate why it all began. During the 50’s there was a general optimizm regarding the civil use of nuclear technology. This saw the establishment in Norway of IFA (Institutt for Atomenergi) already in 1948. Then with the help of the Netherlands, which provided the necessary uranium, and with Norway’s own heavy water the research reactor JEEP-1 was set in operation in 1951. Later President Eisenhower’s ‘Atoms for Peace’ speech at the UN in 1953 added to this optimizm and IFA started plans to build a prototype power reactor. This formed part of Norway’s plans to establish its own nuclear industry, and in 1955 the Parliament agreed a budget for building the Halden reactor. The previous bi-lateral partnership with the Netherlands was no longer in existence as they had secured a deal with the USA for purchasing their own materials testing reactor. As the building of a test reactor was expensive it soon became apparent that Norway needed a new partner. As enriched uranium was only available for a few nations, the Halden Reactor was initially designed to operate with natural metallic uranium. This made it an interesting project from an international perspective as it opened for many countries the possibility for commercially exploitable reactor technology. So after some negotiation the Halden Project was formed under the auspices of the OECC (nowadays OECD). The first research programme was set to last three years and was signed by 12 countries including Norway on July 1, 1958. 2.1. Early beginnings From 1958 to 1968 the main emphasis of the research at Halden was to gain the necessary experience to develop a nuclear generating industry, also in Norway. The building of the Halden reactor was 3 Dr. W. H. Å. Beere central to this research which saw the reactor first go critical June 29 1959. By the time the first 3 year research programme was completed there existed the ability to obtain enriched uranium on a more commercial basis. So the second fuel loading, in 1962, existed of enriched uranium allowing the reactor power density to be increased to that expected for a commercially operating power reactor. From the beginning emphasis was placed on in core instrumentation to allow the monitoring of the behaviour of reactor fuel under various conditions. By the end of the first 10 years of operation it became apparent that this in core instrumentation, along with the ability to run several tests simultaneously, was vital to the reactors ability to produce meaningful research. The research also changed character from the more fundamental problems of nuclear science to the more technical aspects of power reactor operation. These technical aspects were also to include problems outside of the core. So starting in 1967 the research programme was to include not only fuel and materials testing but also problems related to control room operation. 2.2. From atoms to energy In the 70’s Norway’s own interests in nuclear power dwindled. This was not apparent in the beginning as in 1971 IFA created the company Scandpower which was seen being an engineering company capable of designing nuclear power stations. But opposition against nuclear power was growing, this combined with the oil finds in the North Sea effectively put a stop to domestic plans for nuclear power. Finally in 1979 the Norwegian parliament declared that nuclear power was not an option for the foreseeable future. However, this did not mean the end of IFA and the Halden Project.